TEA Collaborative Learning Group
Overview of Plan

Ellison

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Team Members:
Susy Ellison Mike Podmore-teacher/advisor, Social Studies (certification), Yampah Mountain High School(YMHS) Leigh McGown Kauffman--teacher/advisor and co-director for YMHS Teen Parent Program, Social Studies certification) Diana Davis--special education teacher, YMHS Wellspring Program (middle school) Note: while each member has their 'official' certtification specialty, teachers at Yampah often are called upon to teach in other subject areas. Classes are often interdisciplinary and experiential, requiring a diverse range of expertise. Tom Heald, principal of Yampah Mountain High School, will parcticipate in the science mentoring group as his time and schedule permits. In his past life (before becoming the principal) he taught high school science.

What is your role within your team?
My role includes the following: facilitator--working with the team to develop a multi-year plan and goals information source--providing information about inquiry-based science teaching as well as specific science (and esp. antarctic)- based information parcticipant--we will be working together to create a series of self-guiding science 'passages' that follow YMHS's curriculum format

What professional growth goals do you and your team members hope to reach through this partnership?

How will you and your team reflect on these goals and on learning and classroom practice (e.g., pedagogy, the use of technology, content, the process of science)?

Mentoring Plan (Revised from Orientation)
MENTORING PLAN SUSY ELLISON OCTOBER 1, 2002

1. What are your own professional growth goals in developing and working with a team of colleagues? How do you envision that this collaboration will enhance your teaching? My professional goals and objectives include the following: * enhance and support currently available science programming at Yampah Mountain High School (YMHS), * explore a wide variety of science topics and related issues and develop inquiry-based, integrated study units that will be available for student use, * identify and network with local and regional information sources to increase both the depth and breadth of our current science offerings at YMHS, * increase my knowledge base of polar science and develop polar-based curriculum for student use, * improve the ‘image’ and palatability of science for all our students (and teachers). I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with this group of teachers. We have a diversity of interests and backgrounds included in our group. We will all benefit from the synergy that will occur as we apply those interests and skills towards this project.

2. What are some of the milestones that you will use to assess your professional growth? Professional growth will be measured by the following: * Creation of a library of inquiry-based science ‘passages’ (study guides) available for students. These will be self-directed units that will include outlines for study, background information, and lists of resources. * Expansion of current science programming to attract and include a diverse audience. Programming will be integrated across subject areas and emphasize inquiry-based types of activities. * Creation of a directory to opportunities, organizations, and individuals available for science programs/field experiences.

3. Who and how will you recruit? I have recruited cadre members from YMHS staff. Program members include teachers from three programs--the alternative high school, the Teen Parent Program, and Wellspring (a program for middle and high school students with significant intellectual and emotional difficulties)—as well as our principal. They were recruited through staff meeting presentations and an introductory meeting.

4. What steps will you take in order to define your team’s topics of interest? To define my team’s topics of interests I will go through the following steps: * Describe TEA goals and my needs and goals in establishing the cadre * Identify elements of successful inquiry-based science programming * Identify individual team member goals and interests * Identify student needs and interests * Solicit feedback after the meeting to prioritize group goals and topics.

5. What ideas do you already have regarding your team’s topics of interest? Describe your major goals for the first year of collaboration. We have identified the following topics/experiences for this first year of study: * Attending the 2002 CAST convention in Denver * Site visits to hands-on, inquiry-based science exhibits in Grand Junction, CO * Field trips to regional and local science-based research facilities * Sessions to familiarize parcticipants with local opportunities for using and developing science equipment * Parcticipation in a variety of multi-day field courses (Snow Science, summer mountain ecology classes, dinosaur studies) * Research of and presentations on polar topics * Creation of science ‘passages’ for students {Students at YMHS earn credit through a combination of teacher-directed classes and self-designed, independent study units called passages. These student-designed passages follow a standardized format that includes the following elements: an introduction that describes the work to be completed, a list of learning goals and the means for assessing their achievement, a list of the state standards that will be addressed through the unit, the relvance of the topic and the strengths the student has that will ensure completion of the unit, the process that will be used for the unit, and a final project that will demonstrate their learning. Students are assessed using a rubric from 1 to 4 with 1 signifying 'didn't do' and 4 signifying that they exceeded expectations. } We have found that students have a difficult time creating science passages that include a diverse range of topics. In addition, they often need direction to understand just what science 'is' and what the process of science includes. As a group, we have decided that our students would be best served by the development of a library of topic-specific passages from which students can choose (if needed). Our cadre will be working to develop this library of passages--it will include a variety of science-based topics. These topics will be both teacher and student-generated. * Exploration of science topics and experiences that can be used by the Teen Moms with their children (infants, toddlers). This is a program-specific goal to help us support students in the Teen Parent Program while helping them provide sound educational experiences for their children.

We hope to meet for a total of 40-60 hours in this first year.

6. Outline the first session with your collaborative team. My team met on September 13th, 2002. At that meeting we followed the steps I outlined in item #4.

7. What are some possible strategies for involving your team members and for sustaining involvement? I am hoping to sustain involvement in this long-term project by making the experience meaningful, interesting, and FUN. We are motivated by a commitment to providing quality science programming for our students as well as by the common interest of increasing our own knowledge base.

Teachers parcticipating in this cadre will be able to receive credits and compensation for professional growth. Credit is rewarded for every 20 hours of parcticipation in a class or program.

8. What skills and resources do you have that will support your work with the team? I have had extensive background in inquiry-based and hands-on science programming. My past work experience has included director of a science outreach organization and education director at an environmental education center, as well as parcticipation in a teacher cadre focused on improving science education in rural schools. I am in contact with a network of local ‘experts’ and resources in a variety of science-related fields. Cadre parcticipants bring their own networks of resources as well as expertise and interests in a wide range of science and non-science areas.

I will also incorporate input from outside our school's community. This would include inviting speakers with polar experience into our school to present to students and teachers. I would like to include members of the TEA community (Andre Wille and Andy Caldwell as past TEAs and my PI--when I know what I will be doing) as well as valley residents who have had experience in Antarctica.

9. What strategies would assist you in accommodating different perspectives within your team? While our team shares a common interest, we all come in with differing perspectives on science and science education. Our cadre includes teachers versed in a wide range of topics and subject areas.